


Warrick's tale

by Warrick_Ashblood



Category: Guild Wars 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Brotherly Love, Character Growth, Gen, Healing, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, mentions of abuse, mentions of torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:13:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24124939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warrick_Ashblood/pseuds/Warrick_Ashblood
Summary: Warrick was a loyal soldier to the High Legions until they turned their back on him when he needed them most.
Kudos: 2





	1. part 0

It took all Warrick’s will power to appear calm on the outside. While on the inside a storm of emotions raged. Denial, ‘This must be a joke, they can’t be doing this to me.’ Sadness, ‘They’re doing it.’ Anger, ‘I was a loyal soldier how dare they do this to me.’ Even the part of himself that was still loyal to Blood Legion was screaming, ‘It’s what I deserve. ’Seeing no other choice, Warrick pulled his tags from around his neck and held them out. His tags were once his pride and joy, but now they felt heavy in Warrick’s orange and black striped hands.  
Imperator Smodur the Unflinching barely glanced at the tags before taking them out of Warrick’s hands. “You have until the end of the day to leave the Black Citadel.” The Leader of Iron Legion spoke with a tone of finality. Anger rose above the other emotions writhing within him. Gritting his teeth Warrick muttered his understanding before giving Somodur a forced salute before turning to leave.  
The imperator called out to Warrick, stopping him in his tracks. For a few seconds, hope blossomed within him, but it was soon crushed. “Due to what happened to you, I see you as an uncontrollable threat.” Each word felt like a knife straight into Warrick’s heart. After all of his years of loyal service to the High Legions, this was his reward, to be seen as a threat. “I’ll protect my citadel from any threat, by any means, so it would be best if you never return.” Somdur said casually as if he was talking about the weather.  
The storm of emotions within Warrick broke and in its wake rose a new emotion, hatred. This emotion was nothing new to the former Blood Legion soldier, but the intensity of it was. It took a considerable amount of effort for Warrick to force down his hatred before he did something stupid. “With all due respect Imperator, go fuck yourself.” It was a cheap petty move, but one that brought a self-satisfied smirk to Warrick’s feline face as he walked out of the Imperator's office.  
()  
In the back of the Black Citadel there lies the ruins of an ancient human city called Rin. These ruins, with their crumbling walls, have long been the go-to place for secret meetings to happen. So no one batted an eye when Warrick angrily stormed his way from the Imperator’s core and into the ruins.in the back of the ruins, two charr were waiting. One gray with white stripes was chattering away to the other pure white charr. Based on outward appearances most would think that they were calm, bored even, but Warrick knew better. He could tell they were anxious by the way the talkative charr kept subtly glancing around, and the agitated twitching of the white charr’s tail.

“Should’ve figured you’d both be here, Maverick and Dominick.” the next thing Warrick knew he was being crushed between four pairs of arms. “Of course we’d be here little brother.” Out of the four pairs of arms surrounding him, only one felt real. And so that’s the one Warrick tried to hit. “Get off me, Maverick.”

The arms surrounding Warrick jumped back to avoid his strike. Four identical gray and white striped charr shared a worried look with Dominick before three of them shattered into broken glass and butterflies The ex-blood legion soldier was never one for physical shows of affection, but he never reacted violently before.

Cautiously Dominick walked over to Warrick and placed a hand gently on his shoulder. “What happened with Imperator Smodur?” Out of everything they expected from their brother, they didn’t expect Warrick to start laughing. It wasn’t a joyful laugh, it was a hollow-sounding laugh that filled Maverick and Dominick with dread. “I have until the end of the day to leave the Black Citadel.” It was starting to make sense to Maverick now, the hollow laughter, Warrick trying to hit him. His little brother was reaching his breaking point.

“You’re being forced out of the Legions? Why?” Another bout of laughter burst out of the tiger-like charr. “Because dear little brother, I’ve been declared a threat to the legions.” Dominick's eyes narrowed in suspicion upon hearing his brother’s words. Not because he didn’t believe him, but because the usual outcome of being ’declared a threat to the legions’ was death. A glance at his eldest brother told him that Maverick had the same thought. But without more information, it is a thought that would be best kept between themselves. No sense in upsetting Warrick more than he already is.

They returned their attention back to their brother, who was glaring up where Imperator Smodur’s office was. “This could be a good opportunity for you.” Maverick felt a little insulted when Warrick didn’t respond to what he said. Being a Mesmer, the eldest of the brothers thrived on attention. So it was hard for him to ignore the urge to annoy Warrick in some way. A quick jab to the ribs from Dominick brought Maverick’s attention back to the task at hand. “The Durmand Priory could help you.”

That got a reaction out of Warrick, not the reaction his brothers were hoping for, but it was a reaction. Warrick shot his brothers a glare so fierce that his amber-colored eyes seemed like they were made of fire. “Magic is what got me into this mess in the first place, so why would I want to be a test subject for the priory?” Everything seemed to stand still at the tiger-like charr’s words. Almost as if they were afraid the cold rage within his words would be directed at them.

Reacting as quickly as he could, Dominick stepped in front of Warrick with his hands held up in a placating manner. “It was just a suggestion, you don’t have to go to the priory if you don’t want to.” It was a tense couple of seconds but eventually, the glare Warrick leveled at him lessened. It was a small step forward, but it was a step Dominick intended to run with. “There are arenas you can fight in, or you can open the whiskey brewery you wanted.”

A small smile graced Warrick’s face. “The Fifth Legion Whiskey.” Relief washed over Dominick and Maverick upon hearing their brother’s whisper. Warrick has had a secret passion for making whiskey for years. He even had a small brewery set up in a hidden location in the Hero’s Canton. The location was a secret to everyone but Maverick and Dominick, as both would steal some of the fine whiskey for themselves, and protect it from being found. Not that either would tell Warrick this.

“Mercenary work might suit you as well.” Maverick said after catching on to Dominick was planning. They may not know how bad Warrick’s time in Blood Legion was, but they knew it wasn’t easy. Most charr don’t trust magic users, such as themselves, those in Blood Legion especially. And with Warrick being an Elementalist, most likely he was treated badly by his warband. “You can do anything you want to do now.” A small smile graced Maverick’s face when realization shone in Warrick’s eyes.  
To Warrick, it felt as if a suffocating weight had been lifted off of him. It was a strange feeling, to say the least. After so many years of being told what to do and how to do it, he was finally free to do anything he wanted. “I can do anything I want now.” As soon as those words left his lips, a sense of being lost washed over Warrick and he slumped against a ruined wall. “But I’ll be alone, a gladium.”

Both Maverick and Dominick grimaced and shared a look of pain and understanding with each other. From an early age, charr are assigned to a group known as a warband. They spend, in most cases, their entire lives with their warband, so it becomes akin to family. But if a charr loses their warband, they become a gladium, the lowest rank in the legions. “We lost our warbands as well.” Dominick whispered in a pained filled voice.

Guilt gripped at Warrick’s heart, but before he could say anything his nose was flicked. “Don’t go feeling sorry for us.” Maverick felt a sense of satisfaction at the look of indignation Warrick shot him for flicking his nose. “They chose to come with us to rescue you despite the risk.” A small smile crossed Maverick’s muzzle at the memory of his warband waiting for him when he tried to sneak out of the Black Citadel. A similar look crossed Dominick’s face, as he remembered his own warband dragging him by his horns, knowing that he’ll be late as usual, to meet up with his brother. “Just like it is my choice to go with you.”

That was something neither brother expected Maverick to say. “Why?” Warrick Asked a little dumbfounded. Even Dominick was unsure as to why his eldest brother would leave the legions. Out of the three of them, Maverick was on track to being made centurion or even a tribune if he desired. It was times like these that Dominick wished he was a mesmer instead of a necromancer, just so he could understand what goes on in his eldest brother's mind.

“Because I choose to, and you need someone with you right now.” Maverick will admit that he and Warrick don’t exactly see eye to eye. Their personalities just seemed to clash over the smallest things. But Maverick does care about his little brother a great deal. Even if he has a weird way of showing his affection. And after hearing what was done to Warrick, Maverick lost a lot of respect he once had for the high legions.

Warrick was amazed at his older brother. He honestly thought Maverick couldn’t stand him. Both of their personalities seemed to clash on every little thing. But that could be more attributed to Maverick being from the stealthy Ash Legion, and Warrick from the more direct combat orientated Blood Legion. “You would give up everything you’ve achieved for me?” Asked Warrick in a quiet voice, almost as if he was afraid that it was all just a joke.

It hurt Maverick to hear the doubt in Warrick’s voice, but he wasn’t surprised by it. He won’t lie and say he was the best older brother in all of Tyria. Maverick enjoyed teasing his little brothers perhaps a little too much. Then there are all the arguments that he and Warrick get into. But this was a chance to make amends and start a new. “I can no longer serve the legions when they turn their back on a soldier that needs them.”

A warmth Warrick has never felt before filled him. He was unsure of what he was feeling, but it made Warrick feel good knowing that someone truly cared about him. But like most good things, it had to come to an end. A quick glance up at the sky shown that there were only a few hours until sunset. Reality came crashing down around Warrick. The end of the life he once knew is reaching its end. “It’s almost time for me to go.” It was barely a whisper, but Warrick’s words hung heavy in the air.

None of the brothers knew what to say to break the tense silence that fell over them. It was Warrick that broke the silence by doing something surprising. He pulled both of his brothers into a tight hug. The hug didn’t last long, and it was very awkward, but it still shocked Maverick and Dominick. “Thanks for the support, but don’t throw your career’s away just to try and help me.” Warick said before walking away, preventing his brothers from saying anything to the contrary.

“We should go through official channels so we’re not hunted down.” Maverick said after Warrick disappeared from his view. He knew it would take longer, but Maverick was determined to stand with his lost brother. He didn’t want a repeat of last time he couldn’t do his job as the eldest brother. A thought crossed Maverick’s mind causing him to grimace. “What are we going to tell sire?”  
()  
Warrick never really liked the Black Citadel when it got dark, too many shadows for his taste. Past experiences made him leery of what’s lurking in the darkness. Phantom pain caused Warrick’s muscles to twitch as a reminder. But still, he soldiered on with all of his possessions on his back and an emotionless look on his face. Soon the swirling purple energy of the Asuran Gate was in sight. A strange feeling of intimidation washed over Warrick as he stared up at the circler gate. Once he steps through the portal there would be no coming back. “I know it’s impressive but don’t just stare at it Bookah.” The condescending voice of the diminutive Asura operating the gate broke Warrick out of his thoughts.

A quick growl made the Asura squeak and return fearfully her attention to the panel in front of her. “Might as well get this over with.” Turning around Warrick glanced up at the imposing Imperator's Core. In the center, he could see a figure staring down at the Asuran gate. It didn’t take a genius to know that it was Smodur the Unflinching. In an act of pure pettiness, Warrick raised his hands and made a rude gesture with them, before walking backwards through the portal.


	2. part 1-1

Snowblind Peaks in Gendarran Fields was home to Vollyum’s Battle Pit. Many people came to the battle pit to test their strength. While others came to compete for money or glory. All are welcome at the battle pit though. “Are you ready to see some blood.” Shouted an announcer to a roaring crowd. Warrick’s ears twitched at the noise, no matter how many times he comes here it still amazes him just how bloodthirsty the other races are. “Everyone thinks charr are the battle-hungry ones.” Another charr grunted in agreement with Warrick’s assessment.

More cheering from the spectators signaled the end of a round. Excitement briefly rushed through Warrick, a couple more rounds and it was his turn. In the month and a half since his banishment from the Black Citadel, Warrick felt like something was missing from his life. Fighting in the battle pit helped a little bit, but as soon as he left the soul-crushing emptiness returned. It wasn’t hard to figure out why he was feeling what he was, he was lonely. 

But shame prevented Warrick from seeking any meaningful connections. No charr would want to associate with a disgraced soldier. And most of the other races of Tyria don’t have good relations with charr, especially humans. So that left Warrick feeling isolated, even in Lion’s Arch where all races are welcome. Which in turn drove him to take unnecessary risks in his fights at the battle pits. Anything to get acceptance. 

Warrick shook his head, this was no time to get lost in thought. His turn in the arena was coming up soon, and it was going to be his best yet. It took a lot of convincing to allow Warrick’s idea in the battle pits. The risks were too high they said. But like a true Blood legion soldier that he once was, Warrick is stubborn. Once he sets his mind on something, nothing will stop him. “We’ll be taking a short break to prepare for the next round.” 

()

One would think that being covered in fur, charr would have some resistance to the cold. “How are you holding up Maverick?” A muffled reply was all Dominick got. A glance at his eldest brother showed Maverick trying to huddle in his heavy winter clothes. A smile spread across Dominick’s muzzle at this. “We’re almost at the battle pits, you can warm yourself then.” That was all the encouragement Maverick needed to start running. Out of his brothers, Maverick had the hardest time with the cold.

Thankfully they reached Vollyum’s Battle Pit quickly. It was kind of funny watching Maverick all but shoved people out of his way to get to a brazier. “Looks like it’s up to me to find Warrick.” A sigh broke free from Dominick’s mouth at the mention of his lost brother. It took longer then he wanted to retire from the legions. It was nerve-wracking waiting to be relieved of duty so that they could find Warrick. Being exiled from the high legions right after what happened, was probably wreaking havoc on Warrick’s mind. The sooner they find him, the better.

A loud cheer from the battle pit spectators broke the albino charr out of his thoughts. “What a good round, just a few more rounds and we’ll be at today’s main event.” That piqued Dominick’s interest. He knew his brother would never be able to resist a good fight. “Knowing Warrick, he’s somehow a part of that.” A hand grabbed Dominick’s arm trying to stop from walking forward. Years of being an Ash legion soldier honed his instincts to react quickly and with deadly precision. “You know The Gauntlet?”

This stilled Dominick’s from reaching for one of the many hidden blades he had on him. Gently he pried the red-haired human’s hand off of him. “Perhaps are they an orange and black striped charr?” Dominick almost regretted answering the human’s question. It amazed him just how fast a human can talk without needing to breathe. “I can’t understand a word you’re saying, could you slow down and more importantly breath.” A blush of embarrassment spread across the human’s face. 

“Sorry, my name is Spark.” The now named human said, holding out his hand. It was almost comical the way Dominick’s larger hand engulfed Sparks' much smaller hand. “Warrick the Gauntlet is a big handsome tiger-like charr.” That so far matched his older brother’s description, it was a little weird hearing a human call a charr handsome though. Spark started excitedly rambling about Warrick’s many wins and his love of onslaught style fights, which brought a smile to Dominick’s face. He expected nothing less from his ex-Blood Legion brother, he was doing something he loved. “And now it’s time for tonight’s main event.” Loud cheering came from the crowd, but Dominick’s attention was caught by cloaked figures standing around the arena. 

“Let’s hear it for Warrick the Gauntlet.” There standing in the middle of the arena, reveling in the cheers from the crowd was his brother. “Same old Warri-” Dominick’s words caught in his throat as four green portals started opening on the arena. Silence fell over the crowd, some reached for their weapons ready for a fight. “Worry not everyone a barrier has been put in place to prevent any creature from escaping.” The announcer threw a rock towards Warrick but it bounced off an invisible force. That eased some of the people’s fears, but the crowd was still on edge. 

“Warrick will have to survive five minutes in the arena while these portals to the underworld remain open.” Spark couldn’t keep the fear from showing on his face. “Why would Warrick do something so dangerous?” When he glanced at where his companion was, He was nowhere to be seen. Dominick, on the other hand, was frantically searching for his other brother. “This is not good, we knew Warrick wouldn’t be in a good spot but not suicidal.” 

()

Out of all things in the world, being cold was something Maverick couldn’t stand. He hated the shivering, the teeth chattering, having to bundle up just to stay warm. “Why did Warrick have to choose this arena to fight in.” The thought of his brother helped steal his resolve, Warrick needs them, whether he wants to admit it or not. A blast of cold wind caused him and a few other arena spectators to huddle closer to the fire. “I’ll make him pay for making me come up here.” 

A purple butterfly fluttered its way over to Maverick and landed on his horns. Magic flowed into him and conversations from all around him came to his ears.   
“Tonight’s main event is supposed to be amazing.”   
“I wonder what Warrick the Gauntlet has in store for us.”   
“I can hardly wait for Warrick’s fight.”   
“Warrick’s fights are always impressive.”  
While interesting, these conversations would not help Maverick on his search for Warrick.   
Most people associate mesmer magic with tricks and illusions, but it has other useful abilities too. Such as having magical butterflies float over people’s heads to eavesdrop on conversations. 

“I wonder if I can get a few combatants to assist with my expedition.” This caught the mesmer’s attention. A dangerous mission would be right up Warrick’s alley. And it would be a good bonding experience for them. With a mental command, the butterfly on Maverick’s horn flew off.   
The butterfly led him to another fire, which he was very grateful for, before disappearing. It wasn’t hard to guess who he was looking for, especially being former Ash Legion. An Asura was harassing a burly looking Norn, who was getting increasingly irate. 

Usually Maverick would let the situation run its course. But he needed the diminutive intellectual, so he had to intervene. “I hear someone is looking to hire protection, is that you?” The Asura sized up Maverick for a few seconds before deciding that he was worthy. “My name is Bhixx, and yes I am looking for strong individuals to help me.” The arrogant tone Bhixx had grated on Maverick’s nerves, but he forced a smile on his face. No need to insult his future employer. “Then you’re in luck, my brothers and I are looking for work.” 

Bhixx simply looked unimpressed. “I need warriors and an elementalist, not people skilled in subterfuge.” The smile on the mesmer’s face turned into a malevolent smirk. With a snap of Maverick’s clawed fingers, a clone appeared behind the arrogant asura holding a dagger against his throat. “You’re quite perceptive but never underestimate a charr, it could cost you your life.” Fear gripped at Bhixx, possibly having his throat slit by an angry charr mesmer was not how he envisioned today would end. 

“You have eloquently made your point, shall we discuss what I would require of you?” Maverick stared down at Bhixx for a few seconds, committing the way the scared Asura looked to memory. “I guess we can.” Another snap and the clone disappeared in a burst of butterflies and glass-like shards. Bhixx rubbed his throat before trying to regain his composure. “I require assistance in procuring four items that will open a crypt of a human elementalist.” Reaching into a pocket the asura pulled out a map with five locations marked on it. Each circle was a different color, one red then blue, brown, purple, and finally gold. The locations were scattered all over the human lands of Kryta.

Maverick was quick to memorize each location on the map. “Let me guess you have to pass a challenge at each location based on one of the elements to get the items you need.” It was a rather obvious design, but the confusing part was why would someone go through such effort. “Yes and there’s a final test in the crypt, to prove you are worthy of the treasures hidden there.” Excitement coursed its way through the charr mesmer. Danger, treasure hunting, it all would be perfect for Warrick. “This will be a good test of my brothers’ ability as an elementalist.” This made Bhixx pause. Finding a group of strong charr for protection that had an elementalist was serendipitous. “You should have said that, to begin with.” 

From within one of his coat pockets, the asura produced a large bag. “One hundred gold to begin with and another two hundred when we finish.” Three hundred gold was a hefty sum of money for their first job together. Maverick took the bag of gold with a smile on his face. “Meet me at this location tomorrow morning.” Bhixx said, placing a slip of paper into the hand of his new employee. With their business concluded both went their separate ways, one towards Lion’s Arch the other to find his brothers. 

When Maverick found Dominick, he was practically vibrating with excitement. “I got us a job that paid one hundred gold up front.” He waited for his brother to praise him for doing a good job. But that wasn’t what he got. “Did you ask Warrick if he wanted to do it?” This confused Maverick, he knew what Warrick would like so why would he need to ask? “The job will contain violence and will test his magical abilities of course he’d want to do it.” The growl that came from Dominick was surprising. His youngest brother was one of the most laid back person he knew. “Warrick isn’t going to be the same cub we grew up with, hell he won’t even be the same from when we saw him last.” Dominick hissed, getting directly in Maverick’s face. “He’s been alone for a month and a half, that would wreak havoc on any charr but combine that with what he went through….” He paused to take a breath and collect himself before continuing. “Warrick is not in a good place right now and if we’re not careful we could lose him.” 

Out of the three brothers Dominick had the kindest heart. So it was only natural that he would be worried about losing his brother. “I know you were closer to Warrick than I was but trust that I am doing this to help him.” Maverick said in a placating tone. “Before we can help him, we need to establish a bond as a warband, the familiarity will help his mental stability.” The anger in the albino necromancer’s eye lessened a bit. Before Maverick could react his brother snatched the bag of gold out of his hand. “Fine, most of the money will go to Warrick then and I get to say ‘I told you so’ when this backfires.” Any response was drowned out by the arena’s announcer. 

“And Warrick the Gauntlent takes a nasty hit from an Aatxe, is this the end for him?” Maverick felt his heart plummet at the words. In the arena, he saw his lost brother with the horn of a shadowy demon buried in his stomach. “Burn me, he even worse off than I thought.”


End file.
